Death Works Trilogy
Death Works Trilogy, also called Steven De Selby Trilogy by Trent Jamieson. Genres and Sub-Genres Urban Fantasy / Noir Urban Fantasy Series Description or Overview The Death Works Trilogy is about Death, well, working for Death. Death is a business, and it can get pretty rough. It’s set in Brisbane, Australia. There are explosions, the Underworld, and a vast cosmic threat that is a little bit Lovecrafty. ~ Death Works | Trentonomicon Lead's Species * Psychopomp: humans who send souls on to the Underworld Primary Supe * Reapers / Death What Sets it Apart *Death as a corporation Narrative Type and Narrators * First Person narrative told by Steven de Selby Books in Series Death Works Trilogy: # Death Most Definite (2010) # Managing Death (2011) # The Business of Death (2011) ~ Omnibus that includes all three books Themes, Motifs, Symbolism * Death: Steven de Selby is Australia's Death. A job that has been foisted upon him, and one that he doesn't want. In this book, despite himself, he must learn about the true nature of Death. * Love: Love at first sight is easy, what comes after is much harder. World Building Setting Brisbane, Australia; Places: * Deepest Dark: an Underworld locale; * Queensland * Underworld * Melbourne * Corolla * Stirrers * Wesley Hospital * Toowong * Wintergarden * Albion * Mount Coot-tha * George St * Brisbane River * Queen Street Mall * Sydney * One Tree * South Africa * Perth * Kurilpa Bridge * Hell * Hill Supernatural Elements ✥ Psychopomps, reapers, ghosts, spirits, Death, Underworld, Gods, magical fig tree, Gods, Stirrer God, Hell, deadly corporation, zombie-ghosts, Death Inc., , , Glossary: * Psychopomps: "Pomps"; humans with the ability, and the responsibility, to send souls on to the Underworld after their bodies die * Stirrers: zombie-esque restless spirits who refuse to go to the Underworld, but instead take over the physical bodies of the dead or suck out the essence of the living. * Stirrer God: * One Tree, a huge, magical fig tree that serves as a limbo-type place where souls stop off before being absorbed by Orpheus Maneuver the tree on their way to the Underworld * Orpheus Maneuver: Steve performs an Orpheus Maneuver in Hell (Orpheus story) * Regional Manager (aka RM): 13 RMs, each of whom holds part of Hungry Death within himself or herself. * Death Moots: a meeting of all 13 RMs. 'Groups & Organizations': * MortMax: deadly corporation—Death. World In this world, death is a deadly corporation that is called MortMax. Death Most Definite introduces us to Steven de Selby, who belongs to a family of psychopomps in Brisbane, Australia, who have worked for MortMax for generations. Psychopomps are humans with the ability, and the responsibility, to send souls on to the Underworld after their bodies die. The mythology of this world is complex, with the central focus on the One Tree, a huge, magical fig tree that serves as a limbo-type place where souls stop off before being absorbed by the tree on their way to the Underworld. Some of the action also takes place in the Deep Dark, which is an Underworld locale. In this world, there are 13 RMs, each of whom holds part of Hungry Death within himself or herself. The sometimes hold Death Moots (a meeting of all 13 RMs). ~ Fang-tastic Fiction Protagonist Steve is a hard-drinking, troubled young man who has always taken his pomp duties somewhat lightly, with his personal life always coming first. In book 1, however, someone is murdering the psychopomps of Brisbane, and soon Steve finds himself all alone. Steve is basically a nice guy, but with enough flaws to make him an interesting hero with whom we can empathize. The supporting characters have plenty of depth, so we look forward to Steve's interrelationships with them. The series is similar to Simon R. Green's Nightside series and Secret Histories/Eddie Drood series, so if you like Steve's adventures, you might want to give them a try. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction *Orpheus story Book Cover Blurbs ✤ BOOK ONE—Death Most Definite (2010): Steven de Selby has a hangover. Bright lights, loud noise, and lots of exercise are the last thing he wants. But that's exactly what he gets when someone starts shooting at him. Steven is no stranger to death-Mr. D's his boss after all-but when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate, he finds himself on the wrong end of the barrel. His job is to guide the restless dead to the underworld but now his clients are his own colleagues, friends, and family. Mr. D's gone missing and with no one in charge, the dead start to rise, the living are hunted, and the whole city teeters on the brink of a regional apocalypse-unless Steven can shake his hangover, not fall for the dead girl, and find out what happened to his boss- that is, Death himself. ~ Goodreads | Death Most Definite (Death Works Trilogy #1) by Trent Jamieson ✤ BOOK TWO—Managing Death (2011): It's not easy being Death. For starters, people keep dying. And then, they keep getting up again. Steven de Selby got promoted. This makes the increasing number of stirrers (and the disturbing rumors of a zombie god rising sometime soon) his problem. That time management seminar he keeps meaning to take would also remind him that he's got a Death Moot to plan, a Christmas party to organize, and an end-of-the-world thing to avert. Steven must start managing Death, before Death starts managing him, or this time the Apocalypse will be more than Regional. ~ Goodreads | Managing Death (Death Works Trilogy #2) by Trent Jamieson ✤ BOOK THREE—The Business of Death (2011): Steven de Selby has a hangover. Bright lights, loud noise, and lots of exercise are the last thing he wants. But that's exactly what he gets when someone starts shooting at him. Steven is no stranger to death - Mr. D's his boss after all—but when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate, he finds himself on the wrong end of the barrel. His job is to guide the restless dead to the underworld but now his clients are his own colleagues, friends, and family. Mr. D's gone missing and with no one in charge, the dead start to rise, the living are hunted, and the whole city teeters on the brink of a regional apocalypse-unless Steven can shake his hangover, not fall for the dead girl, and find out what happened to his boss-that is, Death himself. THE BUSINESS OF DEATH includes the first two volumes of the Death Works trilogy, Death Most Definite and Managing Death, as well as the third volume. ~ Goodreads | The Business of Death (Death Works Trilogy, #1-3) by Trent Jamieson ✤ BOOK FOUR—The Memory of Death (2014): He thought he'd return from Hell a hero. But things are never easy when your business is Death. Steven de Selby gave up his love, his life, and his lucrative position as Head of Mortmax, the corporation in charge of Death. Then he found himself banished to the briny depths of hell. But hell has never held him before. Now Steven's back from hell, after escaping from the cruel Death of the Water, but he's not sure how or why, or even if. No-one at Mortmax trusts him, and he's running out of time to prove he is who he says he is. Steven is about to discover that hell really is other people, and the worst of them may well be himself. ~ Goodreads | The Memory of Death (Death Works Trilogy, #4) Category:Series